Fluorescent dyes or stains can be used in the detection of nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA present in biological samples. Nucleic acid is the genetic information transmitted from one generation to the next and involved in the routine functioning of a living organism. Nucleic acids are thus of great interest for research and development of diagnostics, therapeutics, forensic tools, and many other applications. Fluorescent dyes that specifically bind to nucleic acids and form highly fluorescent complexes are useful tools for studying nucleic acids. These dyes can be used to detect and quantify DNA and RNA in a variety of environments, including solutions, cell extracts, electrophoretic gels, micro-array chips, live or fixed cells, dead cells, and environmental samples. DNA binding dyes have also been used in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction or qPCR, a highly sensitive and specific gene detection technique widely used in both research and diagnostics. More recently, DNA binding dyes have also been used in high-resolution melt curve analysis, a post-PCR DNA analysis technique useful for gene mutation detection.
Despite the research progress and the commercial availability of a wide range products in the area, there remains a need for improvement in various aspects of nucleic acid binding dyes including but not limited to detection limit, dynamic range of detection and compatibility with different detection formats and instruments. It is the intention of the present invention to address some of these needs.